Being a team beat reporter can give someone unlimited access to material others might not get, but those perks can also come with sacrifice. Apparently, working for the Los Angeles Angels means the coverage has to be favorable, and Sam Blum found out the hard way being too negative comes with a cost.
Sam Blum, who was with the Angels for over two years, confirmed on his Twitter page he was not being brought back to the club’s roundtable show. Here’s the statement from Blum about the events.
“I strive to be fair in my coverage. Sometimes that means being critical. Sometimes that means highlighting good things/people in the org. I have countless examples of both over 2 years on the beat. It’s worth noting how the Angels can attempt to filter their team-owned media.”
Afterwards, Blum said “For what it’s worth: I was informed by AM830 (Angels team-owned radio network) that I’m no longer welcomed back on the their ‘Beat Reporter Roundtable’ program because I bring ‘negativity’ to an ‘up-beat show.’ I was told the decision was made by team president John Carpino.”
There’s fallout from the alleged move to throw Blum out, as fellow Angels beat writer Jeff Fletcher said on his own Twitter page he’s also not coming back to the show.
“I have let the Angels radio team know that I will no longer appear on the ‘Reporters Roundtable’ either,” Fletcher said.
It’s not known what Blum said that was deemed too negative for Angels brass, but it’s not like Los Angeles has been great on the field lately. The Angels haven’t made the playoffs since 2014, squandering years where they had two of the best players in baseball with Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.
Needless to say, this looks ugly for Los Angeles.
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